NBA Trade Rumors: CJ McCollum Becoming Trade Candidate for Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans continue to flounder at the very bottom of the Western Conference, at 4-18, due in large part to the voluminous amount of injuries the team has dealt with.

One of those walking wounded, CJ McCollum, is no longer wounded, and is back in the lineup. And according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, he's also becoming a trade candidate for the Pels in this lost season.

According to league sources, writes Scotto, the Pelicans want to avoid paying the luxury tax, which means they’ll have to make a cost-cutting trade by the deadline. With Brandon Ingram proving difficult to trade because of his extension demands, and not many teams interested in taking on the bloated contract and injury troubles of Zion Williamson, McCollum is almost certainly to be the odd man out.

He carries a $33 million price tag this season, and just one more year on his deal, at under $31 million next year.

At 33, some executives around the league believe the Pelicans could be willing to listen to offers for McCollum.
One of the NBA executives told HoopsHype, 'New Orleans should move McCollum, and they’ll likely move Ingram for another proven player.'

McCollum, even at 33, is still a top producer when healthy. He's averaging 21 points this season in his nine games played, with 1.3 steals, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 32.6 minutes per night.

McCollum, Zion, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, Jordan Hawkins, and Jose Alvarado have all missed time in this disastrous start to the year for New Orleans, leaving the team in a difficult spot.